Fever
by x Replay
Summary: Three people find their lives forever changed and scarred. An Alternate Universe fic. Note: Rating may change.


Prologue: Too Late

Michigan, USA...

The first rays of morning light raced about on the hardwood floor of a young mans apartment. The apartment was silent minus the soft purring of a cat and the gentle breathing of a dark haired man tangled in messy sheets. The man stirred as the rays of light danced over his face and arms, warming what ever they touched. The small grey and white cat stretched itself and crawled from the place in the comforter where it slept to rub itself against the mans arms, only to curl up on his face, purring louder. The man took a deep breath of fur, lifted the cat off his chest and sneezed loudly, face irritated by the fur the cat shed. The cat gave a soft meow or annoyance before finding another place in the warm comforter. The man rubbed his eyes before letting them flutter open to take in the world around him.

As his odd black/silver eyes scanned the large, more or less one room apartment, his lips formed a smile. The warm brown and red tones made the apartment his and his alone; after all, he had worked his ass off to pay for it. He absent-mind idly stroked the grey cat, which had curled up next to him. Bandit; the name suited the cat well as he had a little white patch of fur over his right eye and was the sneakiest little thingy Declan had ever come across. The small cat had the unusual habit of getting into his laundry and tearing apart the stitching in his socks. Declan yawned again and pushed back the covers, untangling his long legs from the sheets. Of course, moving the sheets caused Bandit to stop purring and scamper across the floor to warm some of Declan's clothes. Angry that he had been disturbed, the little cat decided he might also tear out the stitching in Declans' favourite socks.

'The life of a single man' he thought, running his large hands through his oddly coloured hair. The tousled mane of black and silver made him seem a bit younger than he actually was and what was confusing was how his hair and eyes had become so odd, but it never really bothered him much; women found it quite attractive so he didn't complain. He had always enjoyed his time alone, but recently, he had less and less time to himself (and Bandit, of course). He was to be married in three weeks to the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Warmth flooded through him as he thought of her. Her warm brown eyes, adorable laugh, her sweet voice. She inspired him so much; yet, he had his doubts about this marriage. True, he wanted to be married before he was thirty, but was this too soon? He was just approaching his twenty-third birthday and was barely out of university. He sighed and shook his head. If he kept having these doubts, then he'd never settle down.

He grabbed his guitar from the floor next to his bed and began to strum the first chords of one of his favourite songs. The acoustic tone of the instrument sent Bandit ripping out of the laundry basket, which he had comfortably settled in, on to the hardwood floor. Playing his guitar always seemed to settle and clear his mind. He'd been playing since he was fourteen and during that time span, had written a few of his own songs, none of which he really felt proud of. They didn't exactly have as much meaning to them as he had hoped for.

The small grey cat continued his large circles on the oak floor before sliding headfirst into one of the large glass windows which made up two-thirds of his walls. Declan cringed as he heard the cat thump against the clear glass. Originally, Declan would have objected to having that many windows in his house, seeing as he liked privacy, but since his apartment was on the eleventh floor, he really didn't seem to mind. It was actually nice to have the gorgeous view that the apartment offered. Even Bandit enjoyed being up high with the birds, as long as he wasn't in contact with the window.

Today was going to be a good one, Declan decided, rolling out of his messy bed, only to stumble into the bathroom, Bandit chasing his heels. The small cat waited patiently on the corner of the bathroom counter for his breakfast while Declan showered and dressed in loose jeans and a baggy tank top. The cat leaped from the counter with joy and raced after him to kitchen, winding through Declans legs as he pulled out a fresh can of cat food and opened it while Bandit waited impatiently, demanding his food. Before he sat the cat food dish on the floor, Declan picked up his companion who had been with him since he had moved away from his parents and rubbed the cat against his cheek. Bandit meowed irritably and jumped off his shoulder to the floor where his food would await him.

Declan laughed, raising a hand to his cheek. "You're right, Bandit. I did forget to shave." A nights beard had formed since he had dozed off to sleep, making his chin rough to the touch. He lowered the cat dish to the floor, pleasing the cat and decided not to shave today. There was no point really, seeing as he didn't plan on going anywhere. He grabbed a muffin and put a fresh pot of coffee on before going to his door to get the morning paper.

Still not completely awake, he collapsed on a couch; muffin stuffed in his mouth and began to read the paper. His mind wasn't focused on reading, so after the first few articles, he set the paper down on the floor and finished off his muffin. Once finished, he sighed deeply. He appreciated moments where he was alone, seeing as he usually never was. His job rarely allowed him to be by himself and with the wedding approaching quickly, there was so much more on his mind. Colleen, his fiancée, would be stopping by in about an hour with a wedding planner to finalize a few things so he decided to enjoy his aloneness while he could. Thinking some happy thoughts, he dozed off on the couch.

Bandit crawled up onto the top of the couch and happily curled into a circle in a patch of couch that had been warmed by the morning sun. Content in his place, he began to purr in time to Declans breathing. Just like his owner, the tiny grey cat appreciated the quiet. A sudden, unusual chill ran down the cats back, making his hair stand on end and his tail to puff up in an attempt to make himself seem larger and more frightening. The door to the apartment slid open slightly. At the sound, Bandit's ears twitched and a low growl escaped the cat's throat. Declan twitched in his sleep, but didn't wake up. A tall figure squeezed himself through the doorway, his long, ragged trench coat sweeping across the floor.

He towered over the couch in front of Declan and pulled something from his pocket. Bandit growled and hissed as the cloaked figure put a cloth over Declans mouth. With a deep low breath, Declan unconsciously inhaled whatever was in the cloth and was instantly knocked out. The nearly seven foot tall man who had knocked him out, rolled him over on to the floor. Bandit released a series of low growls and hisses, warning the figure to back off. The man, however, only growled back, making the cat tear off to hide in the unmade bed. One he was safe in the covers, he continued his warnings and hissed loudly at the tall man. The man pulled out a small piece of paper form one of his pockets and looked at the small marking which Declan had carried on his shoulder since he was three years old. Satisfied with what he found, the man slung Declan over his shoulder and walked off out the door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

Quebec, Canada...

A young, dark haired woman rolled off her bed in the middle of a deep slumber and landed with a loud thump on the carpeted floor, dragging all of the sheets on the bed with her. She yawned and groaned in annoyed anger as her alarm clock rang out her 9:00 am wake up call. It was her usual Saturday morning, minus the fact that on this particular Saturday, she had woke up in her own bed. It was rare that she ever spent a Friday night at home without her current man. Well, then again, since she was currently single, she had an excuse. Grumbling, she got to her feet and slipped on her fuzzy pink slippers. She eventually made her way out to the kitchen of her small house and groggily poured herself a bowl of cereal. People were already out walking, she noted, gazing out the window. She yawned, still not fully awake. The warm summer sun made her want to go out to walk, but she had other things to do.

Munching on her cereal, she collapsed in her computer chair and booted up the mainframe. Once the screen was fully loaded, Abigail began to intently type away, a spoon sticking out from the corner of her mouth. Her deadline was fast approaching for her next novel, yet she still didn't have her ending. She began to mumble quickly in light French as she drummed her fingers on the computer desk. To keep the couple together and give them a happily ever after? Or to break them up and make both their lives hell. She laughed as she happily chose to split the happy couple up. None of her romances had ever worked out, why should they in her books? Her life had more or less been the inspiration for this book in the first place. The woman was afraid of commitment, so she'd fall for a guy, have sex with him a few times before realising she's made a mistake and runs away from the guy, leaving him heartbroken. 'Just like my life,' she thought. That's just how everything works out.

Writing was her life, or rather; it was just one of her artistic talents that made her some money. Her heart and soul was poured into every book and just by doing that, she made some good cash. She'd already had a few of her works published, and to her great joy, even won a few awards. Though she couldn't help but wonder, how could she be such a successful writer, yet fail so miserably with her love life? She mentally kicked herself. Sure, she was still young. Sure, she had her job to concentrate on, but she would have given up both to actually stay in a relationship. She could attract men like there was no tomorrow, but what good did that do if she'd never settle down with a man.

"I am such a man!" She cried, smacking the heel of her hand against the computer desk before draining what was left in her cereal bowl. She couldn't help but think that. She used men for sex like men used women. She didn't mean too, it just seemed like she did. When she got bored, she tossed the guys she was currently with and found a new one. " I REALLY need help," she decided, putting on her running shoes. One of these days, she would end up in an insane asylum. After changing and locking the door to her house, she went off on her daily run.

There was something about running by herself down nearly empty streets that gave her a sense of freedom and placid ness as well as giving her inspiration for a lot the situations in her books. Her feet hit the pavement in a steady rhythm as the bass line of one of her favourite songs pounded out in her head. She nearly began to sing, but quickly decided against it. She actually had a nice voice, but wasn't about to risk embarrassment. She closed her eyes as she ran, the wind racing with her, pushing her as she ran, making her feel as if she was flying. Running was more of an animal instinct she had. When she was thirteen, she would have never given running a second thought, but now, she had to run or she just wasn't the same. Besides, it kept her body lean and attractive. Her mind raced off in thought as she approached the local park and the numerous trails that it held.

The dark figure smiled as he watched her run around the corner off the main trail and onto one of numerous side trails. This would be easier that he expected. That Declan person was easy as hell considering he'd been asleep at the time. As she approached him, he wondered how much money the damn doctor would pay him for these three. Sure, he currently only had one at the moment, soon to be too, but the third one couldn't be that hard. He took a deep breath of air and pounced on his unsuspecting prey.

She nearly got out a scream as he jumped her from behind. He wisely clamped a hand over her mouth as he pinned her against himself. She struggled against him, trying to get free of his grasp, but didn't succeed. The man, Victor Creed, towered over her by at least two feet and was many times stronger than she was. He placed a cloth over her mouth and waited until she had breathed in the toxin. She slumped unconsciously against his body. Satisfied with his beautiful prize, he checked the marking on her shoulder to make sure it matched the one on his paper. Pleased with the match, he grinned and easily slung her limp body over his shoulder before taking off into the shadows. 

* * *

Southern New Brunswick, Canada...

The sun shimmered over the ground as the wind blew through the grass and the trees, making them dance. A young family of three played outside in the backyard of a small, white house. The child was no older than two years and was gurgling contently in a swing on an old blue swing set in the yard. The mother, Cheyanne, gently rocked the child back and forth as the father, Julian, watched with pride. He was a good four years older than Cheyanne, yet his love for her and their child was unconditional.

Cheyanne gently lifted the child from the seat, cooing and murmuring to her as she gently bounced her in her arms. The baby, Angelina, gurgled happily, her large blue eyes shining as she was gently handed from her mother to her father. Julian gently rocked his daughter in his arms as she curled up, exhausted, and fell asleep.

"Want me to put her inside?" Julian asked, rocking Angelina softly. Cheyanne nodded and smiled warmly. 

Her little girl was growing so quickly. Some people frowned upon her young age, but she was as content now as she ever would have been as a computer technician. Her parents hadn't approved of her marriage to Julian, or their child, but she didn't care. They were her world and she would be happy with them no matter what. Her final year of university would have to wait. Her blonde-white hair shimmered in the sunlight like a halo as she spotted Julian with the baby monitor. Like a schoolgirl, she jumped up and gave her husband a gigantic hug.

Laughing, he spun her in a circle before bringing her back to him. She smiled as he began to dance with her, bare foot, to no music. She laughed as he dipped her and let her fall to the ground. He followed her decent to the cool grass, laughing. She giggled as she lay on the ground pointing out funny looking clouds. The pair of them were acting like a couple of teenagers. The spent nearly and hour outside, staring at the clouds before Julian's stomach got the better of him and began to growl.

"About time for lunch, eh?" He asked his wife, watching he yellow-green eyes sparkle. She nodded and sat up.

"Are you going to check on Angelina while your making lunch?" She asked and as if on cue, they heard a soft cry from the baby monitor. Cheyanne smiled as her husband ran off into the house. She thanked god everyday for what he had given her and what she now had. She had a loving family, a baby girl and a devoted husband. She sighed happily and let the heat of the noon sun warm her.

A rustle of the leave in the bushes beyond the property line pulled her out of her happy thoughts. She turned to the woods behind her house and saw something move. Intrigued, she moved toward the bushes, intent on finding out what had moved. It might have been an injured bird. She searched around the high brush until she was fifteen feet into the woods. Looking around, Cheyanne found a small piece of paper. She bent over and lifted the crumpled, dirty paper. She dusted it off, unfolded it and read what was written on it.

"Sabretooth?" She asked no one, dusting off more of the dirt to read the rest of the writing. The word barely escaped her lips when a large hand clamped over her mouth, making her slump.

Sabretooth sighed with delight. 'Last one,' he thought, thrilled, making sure she had the proper marking. 'Now I'm gonna get my reward and I'm out of here.' He tossed the light-haired woman over his shoulder and headed off deeper into the woods... Heading North.

* * *

Northern Alberta, Canada...

Declan's eyes opened with a start as he took in his surroundings. The dark, steel grey walls and bright lights scared him. He didn't know who he was, where he was, or where he came from. All he knew was that he was scared. He tried to move his arms and legs, only to find them pinned to the table on which he lay. Frightened, he turned his head to either side, only two see two women whom where still motionless. He swallowed as he noticed three other men, supposedly arguing about two feet away.

"I though I was gonna get paid for this!" The tallest of the three growled angrily. His fists were balled in obvious anger as he snarled at the smaller men who both wore round glasses.

"You'll be paid in due time, Creed. Have patience." Both of the smaller men were absolutely loaded with composure and confidence. "You won't be getting money though." He added.

"What?!" The man named Creed exclaimed. He now looked as if he were about to tear each of the men limb-from-limb.

"Don't' get angry, Victor, you'll be getting one of them" The second man gestured towards the women on the tables. "Take you pick."

Victor growled his displeasure of not receiving the money he had expected but mentally made his choice. "Do you have names for them?" He wondered out loud.

"Of course," said the first man, casually. "The dark haired female shall be known as Desiré, the blonde will be Kirsten and the man will be Gabriel. They're named after my dogs." He laughed, as the three of them made their way into a smaller room.

So his name was Gabriel... he could live with that.

Suddenly, the tables began to move, submerging Gabriel into some sort of liquid. He struggled frantically against the bonds until he realised that he had a breathing apparatus on but soon felt everything fade to black.

* * *

"Hun... Answer the door" Colleen, Declan's fiancée called, knocking on the door to his apartment. Finally, she got fed up after standing at his door for nearly twenty long minutes. She fished around in her purse for the spare key he had given her, shoved the key into the deadbolt and twisted the key. When she finally got her satisfactory 'click' from the lock, she shoved open the door to find her self alone.

"Declan?" She called, wandering around the empty apartment. There really weren't many places to hide, and she had seen his car in the parking garage so he had to be here...

A loud hiss brought her back to her senses. She looked around to see Bandit race across the floor towards her, hair on end, tail enormous. The cat leaped into her arms and began to meow frantically, almost as if he was trying to tell her what had happened. Colleen, who did not speak cat, didn't know what happened. She wondered out of the apartment, Bandit still in her arms, and went back to her car. If Declan didn't show up tomorrow, she'd call the police.

* * *

"That woman never seems to meet her deadlines" An angry publisher mumbled under his breath. He hadn't received word from her in two weeks and her novel was way over due. She wasn't answering her phone or pager and her e-mail was stacking up. He had nearly gone crazy when he hadn't received his copy on time for editing. He had half a mind never to publish any of her books again. In anger, he threw the phone back onto the desk, blowing papers off the desk and scattering files.

"Sir?" A fair, red haired young secretary rushed into the room, holding a piece of paper. 

"What is it?" He frowned upon her entry. His finger tips massaged his temples in an aggravated fashion. She took a step back before speaking.

"This might interest you. It's about Ms. Abigail Richter." She cover the space between herself and her boss in a couple of steps and placed the post-it note on his desk. She turned to leave but her boss grabbed her arm. 

"This better be good, Mrs. Worthing or your job might be on the line. I'm in no mood to deal with anyone's bullshit today." He extended his hand to grab the note from his desk and motioned her to leave. She rushed quickly out of the room, not wanting to risk her job.

His eyes widened as he read what was written on the small piece of yellow paper. Abigail was supposedly missing. He mail was stacking up and her newspaper subscription was cancelled due to no one taking them inside the house. When her neighbours finally got in her house, they found no one there. She was gone. It seemed like she had almost vanished.

He sat back in his chair and fisted a hand in his neat hair. His star author was gone. "Shit..." He mumbled, still not believing what he had read. "Holy shit..."

* * *

"Cheyanne? I hope soup was okay. The baby's asleep now..." Julian called. He trailed off when he didn't see his beautiful bride sitting in their backyard anymore. A sickening worry began to build up as he set the soup down on the picnic table and began to search the yard. With every step he took, his heart beat increased drastically.

Where could she be? If she hiding? Why is this happening?

Numerous questions raced through his mind as he noticed a small broken trail in the back of the yard, leading off the property. He found a small bit of hope that she was just back there looking for flowers. He followed the trail she had broken before noticing that it stopped. There was a clearing before more brush. The trail was gone. He looked around where he was, noticing that it looked like there had been someone else here too. His wife was gone.

Anger welled in his heart as he noticed the only remaining part of her. One of her sandals had fallen off. He picked it up from under the small bush and clenched it in his hand. Why? How could someone do this? His heart was completely crushed. His daughter no longer had a mother. Her parents, who had frowned upon everything that she had done in that past three years anyway, would blame this all on him and wouldn't give him any sympathy. To them, they no longer had a daughter. He slowly made his way back to the house, in utter disbelief, contemplating how he would raise his daughter with out a mother...

* * *

Somewhere in Northern Alberta...

A soft green light was all that lit the dark, eerie lab. The strong scent of chemical reactions, disinfectant, and fear burned and infumigated the nostrils of the single occupant of the lab. He sneezed twice from the irritation they cause and rubbed his nose and eyes with the back of one of his large hands. The large man mumbled something under his breath that only he could hear as he fidgeted restlessly, wondering why he had devoted his time to watching the lab instead of hunting. This technical junk had nothing to do with him. Sure, he had been part of the original experiment, but he had no current reason to bother wondering why the doctors had been so motivated to carry out this plan of theirs. Didn't bother him in the least. All he had to do was follow orders and kill. Easy enough for his liking. Maybe his reasoning for watching the lab was the newest experiments. He somehow felt drawn to the three people and maybe felt some of their pain. He figured it was his job to currently protect them. There was no need for them to go through the pain and suffering that he did and still was going through. Hell, he would have left this place a long time ago if it hadn't been for this job the doctors offered. He shuddered as he gazed at the tubes, each standing three feet taller than himself and containing the experiments. He sneezed again from irritation and stood in the darkness.

He couldn't help but feel a tingle run down his spine. With no lights on in the lab and the only ones lighting the room from above, the figures in the tubes were illuminated with the green light and the figures covered with black shadows making a creepy atmosphere even creepier. Strangely, the shadows were alluring to him. He felt drawn to the tanks. He wished to examine the contents better, but of course, he was under strict orders not to touch anything. That, of course, was bullshit. He had brought the two doctors these people anyway. They should be grateful of what he had done for them.

A few lights flickered on as the huge abdamantium doors to lab slid open to revel a man much smaller than himself with his glasses glittering in what little light there was. He walked briskly into the stainless-steel room, past the mutant and straight to the tubes.

"How are my precious little animals doing?" He asked, his voice light. He took a step toward a single tank, which held what looked like a cross between a woman and a lynx and ran a finger down the cold glass. Her dark tawny hair floated freely in the tank as steady streams of air bubbles ran out of her mouth. 

They held somewhat of a special place in his heart. These three would turn out right and would not betray him like Logan and the others. He would be proud of these three and considered them his ultimate accomplishment. The originals, on the other hand, were just a stepping stone, and the experiences had been quite helpful. Their betrayal still gave him great pain but after these three, he'd just shrug his shoulders and laugh, saying he was nothing compared to what these three would be. What they had lacked, the new three would make up for it in every way. They had received the power of metamorphosis also resulting in heightened senses. They would become his team of "perfect" hunters. 

Not turning from the glass, he spoke to his companion. "So what do you think, Victor?" He drummed his knotted fingers on the glass, awaiting the man's response. "Do you think they meet my expectations?" He adverted his eyes to gaze at the other two tubes, one of which contained a cross between a man and a wolf; the other held a mix of an eagle and a woman.

Creed growled "you better not take any chances with these three or they just might betray you like Logan. If they ever decided to leave, you know damn well that I wouldn't be able to stop them." His eyes ran over the lynx as he spoke and he shuddered. "But overall, they most defiantly live up to what you have planned for them. They're perfect for hunting, but their personalities might prove to be difficult to control." He sighed.

"I'm not worried about that at all" the doctor laughed. He paused. "Does anything interest you?" He grinned and ran a nail across the glass, as if stroking her face.

A slight, almost unseen flush came to the mutants' face as he scrambled to find some words but the man just shook his head and laughed.

"If you want her still, She's yours."

A snarl rippled across Sabretooth's lips. "I can find someone for myself, thank you." He bit off the last couple of words before dropping himself into a black, steel chair, snarling and muttering. He sneezed again.

"Fine with me" the doctor said, leaving the tank to boot up his network of computers and equipment. The large monitor flashed to life as all the other equipment flashed, blinked and beeped with mechanical life.

The horrid smells of chemical aftermath, fear, and disinfectant once again filled Victor Creed's nostrils, making him sneeze repeatedly in annoying irritation. "I'm leaving; I can't stand this place." He grunted, lifting himself slowly from his chair before stalking out the large sliding doors, out into the lovely wilderness of Canada.

"We'll finish soon" the doctor promised himself. "Soon, my pets, you'll be hunting and killing those damn mutants for us." He pressed both palms of his hand against the cool glass and exhaled the breath he'd been holding. "Soon," he muttered "soon..."

* * *

"Stay still" the doctor demanded, peering out from behind his dark glasses. The blunt end of the handgun shimmered in the piercing fluorescent light as he pointed it at the man sitting on the floor. His lips curled as he cocked the gun. "I just want to see if your X-genes really are kicking in.." The man on the floor gave an inaudible whimper as he watched a menacing grin sweep across the doctor's face. He knew that the man had a healing factor, he just wanted to see its abilities. The wolf's face cracked with horror as the doctor stepped forward. His ears twitched and tail quivered in panic as he struggled to rip free of the bonds which held him. His wolf instincts told him he had to get out of there, to run, but he had nowhere to go. The laughing maniac took aim with the gun and fired.

A ripping pain shot through his right calf, tearing at the muscle, just barely missing his bones and ripping whatever it found to shreds. The pain was intense. He wanted to scream, but he knew well enough that it wouldn't do him any good. Blood trickled down his leg, staining the fabric of his pants and pooling in large crimson splotches on the stainless steel floor. Teeth ground firmly together, still facing the aftermath of the pain, the wolf, Gabriel, clutched his leg in agony, waiting, hoping that he was strong enough to direct his power to his leg. His mutation wasn't suppose to allow for random healing, but to heal burns that were partially self-inflicted. Obviously, the doctor didn't care what that mutation was for. He wanted him to use the healing factor for all wounds, which made Gabriel fear for his life. Within a period of ten minutes, the wound finally started healing over and the pain subsided slightly. Cautiously, he looked at his leg, wondering if it had been ripped off, her sighed with great relief to find that it was still attached to his long leg. As the pain became a tiny pinprick, he released the breath that he had been holding for the past five or so minutes.

"The mutation is progressing with out problems" The doctor said, placing the gun in a drawer in a desk, making sure to lock it. He clearly understood now that the experiment hadn't blocked the original mutation, but had simply delayed it. Battle training with Creed had been a nightmare but was necessary, even if it did give them multiple injuries. 

The brilliant golden haired eagle, Kirsten, now sat in a corner, watching his every movement with an animals intensity, while the lynx, Desiré, lulled in a chair, obviously off in thought. His attention ran back to the eagle. Her golden halo of white blonde hair shimmered under the light and was the result of having some of the genes of a bald eagle. Her eyes, a golden yellow, seemed to burn holes in him as he worked.

Desiré yawned, showing her pointed teeth and shifted completly to her lynx form where she stretched and curled up in her corner to fall asleep. Her chest rose and fell with every breath as she began to dream of how wonderful it would be to run free. 

His new experiments were turning out better than he had ever expected. They were nearly complete. After almost twenty long years of work, sweat and blood, he would have his revenge. Sure, he was one of the last two men working on this project, but he knew it was worth it. To give them the ability to hold the senses of and abilities of their given animals, he had to mutate their X-genes at a young age. Over a period of fifteen years, the three hunters had developed and grown, their X-genes and original mutations delayed. A year ago, he had re-awakened the mutated genes, causing rapid growth of the animal features but greatly decreased any growth of the original powers, causing great pain. They now had overall control over the shape shifting, but the pain of their other developing powers interfered with all of the two doctor's experiments. They both hoped that these new mutations would subside quickly so they could get back on track with their original plan. 

Over all, he and his partner were quite pleased. The features of there given animals were excellent additions in themselves as they gave them heightened senses and great animal hunting instincts. The fact that they all kept their original powers was a great relief in its own, although they couldn't use the powers that were of their original mutation as they hadn't developed enough and required training. Sure, they currently lacked endurance training, but that would soon change. They would soon make him proud. If Logan and the rest of the original Weapon X mutants hadn't turned on him, he wouldn't have needed to develop these three new hunters, but it was probably for the better anyway. Weapon X would soon be underway again, after a long delay, and would have more force than he could have ever dreamed. Her turned from the dark man to Creed, who was currently standing over Desiré in the corner, watching the steady rhythm of her breathing.

"Watching your investment, are you Victor?" He asked, poking fun at the taller man. A snarl once again curved on Sabretooth's lips at the doctor's inquiring words, but rather than giving him a response, he snorted in slight annoyance. "I know well enough that you've been watching her for months." The doctor smiled, stepping closer. Gabriel slunk back away into a corner, rubbing his leg furiously, not wanting part of the conversation. "Why don't you do something instead of just standing there?" The doctor continued.

That was just about the last straw. Victor leaned down on the doctor, intimidating him and growled from deep within his throat. Knowing that Creed meant business; the doctor backed off, turning to input some more data into the computer's memory of today's events. The wild man refused to admit that he had developed unwanted feelings for the tiny dark haired woman, denying even to himself that they were real. The doctor, of course, held power over himself and the lynx, making his problems ten times worse.

Gabriel and Kirsten exchanged knowing glances, but neither spoke a word. Starting his mediation, Gabriel drove all thoughts of pain and love out of his mind and concentrated on trying to tame and control his power. Both the blond woman and the dark man knew better than to interfere or question anything the doctors or Creed said or did. They usually just shrugged and went about their own business. If they pleased the doctor with their achievements, he'd leave them to go about their own business and wouldn't give them another survival lesson with Sabretooth. Usually after those sessions, they had more emotional wounds than physical. Emotional wounds couldn't be healed as fast as physical ones could be...

* * *

"I want out of here" snapped Gabriel. It was well after the doctor had left for the afternoon and the doors, of course, were locked. The wolf paced furiously across the floor like a lion stalking its prey. Something didn't smell right to him and the wolf in him told him that they should leave as soon as they possibly could. His normally unemotional face was cracked with worry. He constantly ran his large hands through his rough, black, silver-streaked hair, frustrated with not knowing what was going to happen. It drove him crazy not to know at least a little about the future.

"Calm down, dear" Kirsten said, her voice muffled by her hair. "We all want out of here, but if you keep pacing like that, you're eventually going to draw some attention from Creed and you know as well as I do that we can't afford to have either of them suspecting anything." She finished poking around a small device she had created with a tiny screwdriver and snapped the small gizmo shut, forming a black sphere. She sighed and threaded a black ribbon onto the hook on one of the poles of the sphere. She beckoned to Desiré to come closer to her. Desiré gave her an odd look but sat in front of her. Kirsten took the ribbon and tied it around her friend's neck.

"What's this for?" The smaller woman asked, toying the small black sphere, which now hung around her neck.

"It holds data." Kirsten explained. "I've copied all of the data from the doctors' computers and pasted it in the memory of the sphere. It's for later. I'm planning to escape tonight, after the doctor's final visit. If you want to come with me, go ahead." She paused and happily saw her companions smile and nod.

"Good." She said, grinning "Then listen carefully. I'm gonna destroy all of the data on his computers. After what I've read, he's not gonna continue this plan again. We'll all have to be ready to run. Creed might prove to be a problem and were gonna have to fight the doctor to get out. Get anything of importance and be ready to take it with you." She smiled and added "we'll be fine. We'll get away from here and find some way to deal with our pain." Kirsten stood and walked off to do something.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked Desiré. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her head to face him. "You seemed so silent while Kirsten went on about her plan..."

She gazed idolly into his black, silver flecked eyes and spoke. "I'm fine, I swear." He held out a hand for hers. When she finally forfeited her hand, he laughed.

"Liar." He smiled, though his eyes were clouded with concern for her well being. "I know you much better than that. Besides, your hands are shaking." He squeezed her hand tightly, trying to calm her a bit. He could smell her fear and worry. "If you keep thinking were not going to make it, then Sabretooth's definitely going to notice something." He rubbed her back soothingly, trying his best to calm her. He was only satisfied when a small purr of content escaped her lips.

"Much better" He said "Now you better try to prepare yourself but don't worry, I'll be with you." She smiled and nodded in agreement as he went off to get himself together.

These past few weeks had been so taxing. Her original mutation had just begun and burned through her bones. Her lack of control left her in great pain. She had accepted the pain, as both the doctors had said, it was her fault it hurt. She wished desperately that she could be herself and not be beaten for it. She also wished she could remember what had happened a year ago. She had no idea how she had gotten to this retched place or whether he name was really Desiré. She just had a few images imprinted into her mind. She sighed before shifting with great ease to a lynx and tried to get some sleep before the inevitable escape.

* * *

"Hey... Wake up" came a small, rough whisper. The lynx stirred from her sleep, bolted upward, and growled her warning to the intruder. Gabriel shot backwards before the lynx came to her senses and shifted back to her human form.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed in a hoarse whisper, rushing to his side, helping him to stand. She drowned him in apologies as he slowly got his bearings back.

"I'm okay," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "You just shocked me, that's all." He swept the hair out of her concerned face and gently stroked her cheek. "Really, I'm perfectly fine. But we have to leave now."

She picked up a small bag of belongings and followed him through a dark hallway to the main part of the lab. Kirsten was already there, deleting all of the files from the memory of the computers and destroying nearly all of the back up files. The doctor held bits and pieces of the old data, but she figured it didn't matter. When she finally finished hacking the files to bits, she stuck a foot through the front of the system, watching the sparks fly up from the control board. She then turned and "accidentally" kicked or smashed the rest of the equipment in the lab. 

"Are you ready?" She asked, stopping her rampage in front of Gabriel and Desiré. The others nodded. She, herself was ready, but her stomach was doing flips out of nervousness and excitement. "Good" She said, her voice wavering slightly. "Now once we're out of here, we'll split up, that way we have less of a chance of getting caught." She breathed out and motioned the others to follow her down on of the smaller, darker halls. Now all they had to do was wait.

Ten minutes passed before the large metal doors slid open and one of the doctors stepped through. His face went into shock when he took in all the damage that was caused by Kirsten. He rushed over to the main console and tried frantically to fix what whatever damage had been caused. 

While he desperately tried to fix the broken machinery, Gabriel snuck up behind him with a pipe. He gently tapped the doctor on the shoulder and got the full reaction he had hoped for. The doctor spun around and walked right into the pipe that Gabriel swung at him. The wind was knocked completely out of him as he was knocked out with a blow to the back of his head. Not knowing whether he had killed the man, he motioned to the others to follow him out the open doors.

The night air was damp and cool. They began to run, bare feet pounding hard against loose soil. Splitting up, they ran in separate directions, shifting to their animal forms. Without taking one look backwards, they ran in the night towards the mountains. 

The moonlight shone on the back of the tawny coloured lynx as she ran. Her muscles rippled under her thick fur as her padded feet thudded against the ground, tossing soil and pine needles up behind her. Her lungs began to burn slightly and her paws started to ache with overexertion but she kept running, know if she stopped now, she'd be caught.

From his place where he sat in a dark spruce tree, Sabretooth caught a glimpse of silver fur in the moonlight, racing along the ground. He blinked twice, wondering if he was seeing things. Knowing that he wasn't blind and that he recognised those markings, he decided to investigate and track new prey. He grinned to himself as he dropped from the tree. He'd finally get some well-deserved payment for his work.

* * *

The night wind streamed under her wings as she flew lazily above the treetops. She loved the freedom the sky gave her. It was as if she had no worries in the world, no problems, not a care in the world. She never wanted to walk on the ground again. The ground brought her back to reality, which she really didn't want a part of.

The wind rushed through her feathers as she swooped of the low peak of a foothill. She was already miles from the lab, seeing as she didn't have to deal with land obstacles like rivers and trees. Her escape had been the easiest compared to the others. There would be no footprints to follow, no scent left anywhere. "The perfect getaway" she thought happily. But it was a constant concern as to how Gabriel and Desiré were fairing. They would both be having a tougher time than she was as they had to use more energy, they left tracks, and their scent would be easy to follow. She silently prayed they would be all right.

After what seemed like four hours of flying, the first rays of the sun became visible on the distant horizon. If she had had her human mouth, she would have smiled. Sunrise was her favourite part of the day. It was so beautiful and, to her, it meant a new beginning. The trees soon began to thin as she came across a small city. With great accuracy and skill, she glided down to a small tree within walking distance of the city. Shifting back to her human shape, yet keeping a pair of tan wings, she glided to solid ground.

Dusting herself off, she looked in the direction of the city. A place for a new beginning. She slowly started on her way into the town, hoping that Gabriel and Desiré would make it there too, safe. Finishing the last of her transformation, she made her down the asphalt to her new life.

* * *

His feet hit the loose soil in a steady rhythm as he ran, following Kirsten the best he could as she flew above him. The smells of morning dew and pine were refreshing as he ran. His vision lacked most colours while in this shape, but he knew everything would be a rich green and brown. The moon still hung in the dark sky as the sun slowly let its rays dance upon the trees.

He could smell humans. He was close to the target that the small trio had hoped for in the past year and a half. He hoped that he wouldn't have to run much farther. The distance was beginning to take its toll on his body. His lungs burned and legs ached from misuse and he was pretty sure that the pads on the bottom of his paws were raw, but his freedom was so close that the pains were shoved to the back of his mind.

The human scent grew stronger as he forced his aching body to pick up speed. Getting careless with his footing, he raced through the trees, excitement fuelling him. He raced through a pair of trees, but misjudged the clearing between them. One of his paws hooked itself on a root protruding from the ground and flung and exhausted Gabriel ten metres, only to have him land on his back. As he landed, his head struck another root, knocking him unconscious.

His body shifted itself back to his human form, leaving him horribly fatigued and unconscious, not far from civilization. He was so close to reaching freedom yet his carelessness delayed it for him. 

* * *

Panting, Desiré stopped to catch her breath. She had no idea where she was and couldn't smell anything human. With a slight tinge of disappointment, she started walking again, trying to remember where she had been and where she was supposed to go. She now wished desperately that she had followed Gabriel. 

Fear was starting to set in as the first rays of light broke through the dense forest. Her ears pricked up as a twig snapped behind her. Spinning around, she found herself looking up at Victor.

"Though you could run, eh?" He asked with content as a look of horror quickly spread across the lynx's face. "Come on Desiré, you know as well as I do that you'd have never been able to escape me." He held out a large hand, only to have it greeted with large, carnivorous teeth and a nasty growl.

He backed up a bit, hands up, waiting for her to run, but she didn't. She shifted to her human form and hung her head in anger. She might be caught, but she knew Gabe and Kirsten had made it far away from them. She would just sacrifice herself for them.

"Take me back to that sonofabitch then." She growled "It's not gonna help you much anyway. The others are already long gone." She smirked. She'd rather kill herself then turn the others in and screw up any chance they had at a normal life.

"That wasn't my motivation for hunting you down, doll." He said in his deep, husky voice. She shuddered as he placed a large, cold hand on the small of her back, drawing her closer to him. She wanted to desperately to run at that moment, but Creed would catch her anyway. He was three times as strong as she was and twice as fast. She didn't stand a chance. "I won't take you back to them" He said, pressing her against his body. "Your gonna stay with me from now on."

Her eyes flooded with tears. She'd screwed up any chance she'd had for freedom. She held back her urge to kick the larger man, knowing she'd end up in a world of pain if she did. She felt worthless as Creed swung her over his shoulder as carried her off into the woods. Her life was about to become one of pain and worthlessness. Her heart fell and tears stained the man jacket as they disappeared from sight.

* * *

"New mutant signature detected" Stated the cold, digital voice of Cerebro. The offline machine quickly stored the data, a small alarm switch blinking a brilliant red. It wouldn't be until later that day that anyone found out about this new discovery...

****

Authors Notes: Ahahahaha! The prologue is now complete! Yes, this is just the prologue, and now you must listen to me ramble on for a few minutes. This is my first Evo fic (pardon me, epic) and I'd appreciate feedback on it, considering I'm new to this fandom. Don't worry, all of the normal characters will be in the next chapter, but it's up to you all if I continue or not. 

This is an alternate universe fic (AU) so some of the information might be a little messed up and stuff. It takes place about a year or so after the first encounter with Apocalypse. Now everyone cross your fingers and hope that the next chapter is up in a few weeks. Oh, and cookies for everyone! (That's right, you get invisible cookies ^_^)

Oh, and Shel, if that lil blurb is still at the end of the fic, there's going to be a little surprise for you at the end of the next chapter if you catch my drift. ^_~


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